Aldon Smith dies at 36, the San Francisco 49ers said Saturday, as the team confirmed the former NFL pass rusher’s death without disclosing the cause.
The 49ers said they were “devastated” by Smith’s sudden death and praised the impact he made after joining the franchise as the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Smith recorded 14 sacks and 27 quarterback hits as a rookie. He finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after one of the strongest debut seasons by a pass rusher.
He followed that with 19.5 sacks and 29 quarterback hits in 2012. The sack total remains a San Francisco 49ers single-season franchise record, according to the team-linked reports.
Smith played in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys. ESPN’s career stats list him with 52.5 sacks across 75 regular-season games.
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Off-field issues later disrupted his career. The multiple arrests and NFL suspensions for violations of the league’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies.
Smith returned to the league with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 after a long absence and recorded five sacks that season, according to ESPN data.
